THE MOTE . 
3P7 
and gardens by its subterranean activity. Several South African forms, nearly related to the above, 
but differing more or less in the colour and texture of the hair, have been described as distinct species 
by various zoologists ; but these are now regarded as mere varieties of ChrysocJiloris capensis , which 
has also received the names of cmrea and inaurcita. Besides these, Dr. Gunther has described 
a species from Caffraria, under the name of C. Trevelyani , which has the fur brownish and not 
lustrous, and also presents some minor differences of structure. The Blunt-nosed Golden Mole 
(C. oUmirostrm) of Professor Peters, from Mozambique and Catfraria, which has a lustrous coat, has 
one molar less on either side in each jaw, so that the whole number of teeth is only thirty-six, and 
hence, and from some peculiarities in the structure of the lower molars, and the absence of a bladder- 
like enlargement in the temporal fossa, which occurs iii the other species, Professor Mivart has placed 
it in a distinct genus, under the name of ( ItalcocMoris . 
FAMILY VIII. — TALPIDiE, OE MOLES. 
The True Moles constitute a very distinct family of Insectivora, characterised more especially by 
their complete organisation for a subterranean life. They have a more or less cylindrical body, with 
short limbs, of which the front pair are converted into most powerful digging organs, the construction 
of which will be noticed in the description of our common British species. The head is small, with 
the muzzle produced and generally pointed, and the eyes and ears concealed, the former being generally 
almost covered by a membrane; the skull is elongated, rather flat, with a distinct, thin zygomatic 
arch ; the bones of the shank ( tibia and fibula ) are united ; the wrist has a siclde-shaped bone on the 
inside, which passes to and helps to support the first digit ; and the intestine has no caecum. The 
teeth vary somewhat in number* 
The Moles usually form a subterranean dwelling which exhibits considerable ingenuity in its 
construction, and live upon worms, the larvse of insects, and other small animals which they capture 
whilst making their way beneath the surface of the ground. They inhabit the northern half of both 
hemispheres, not a single species being known to occur south of the Equator. The best known species, 
whose history may serve as a type of that of the family, is 
THE COMMON MOLE.* 
The Common Mole of this country, although an animal not very often seen, is yet so well 
known as regards its general appearance 
that we need hardly describe it. It has 
a plump, nearly cylindrical body, with 
very short limbs, a short tail, and a 
long, pointed muzzle. The eyes are so 
minute as to escape observation ; the 
external ears are wanting ; the body 
is covered with a velvet-like coat of 
hairs of a black or blackish-brown 
colour, with more or less of a whitish 
tinge in certain lights ; and the feet, 
which are naked, are flesh -coloured. 
The total length of the animal is 
usually about six inches, of which not 
more than half an inch is made up by 
the tail. 
The Common Mole occurs not only 
in the British Islands, but across the 
whole of the central and southern parts 
of the continent of Europe, extending northwards as far as the southern shore of the Baltic and 
throughout Denmark, thus justifying Shakspere’s allusion to it in “ Hamlet.” It also stretches 
THE COMMON MOLE. 
# Talpa europcea . 
